


"Stay With Me"

by shnuffeluv



Series: Whumptober 2019 [17]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Not Really Attempted Murder, Pre-Season/Series 01, Snakes, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, Temporary Character Death, Unsympathetic Morality | Patton Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 04:11:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21068627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shnuffeluv/pseuds/shnuffeluv
Summary: For Whumptober Day 17: "Stay With Me." Deceit gets "killed" by Patton, and Virgil realizes some things.





	"Stay With Me"

Virgil was reading in the Common Room, curled up into it and listening to music which was playing softly from where Logan was working on a book of Sudoku puzzles. It was then that he heard it. Footsteps approaching the Common Room, footsteps that he didn't initially recognize. He had heard them before...when they were kids, but he hadn't heard them in years since Patton had separated the Sides into "Good" and "Bad" categories.

Looking up in surprise, he saw Deceit at the edge of the Common Room, looking around. His eyes settled on Virgil and he took a step forward, opening his mouth to say something, but he never got the chance to. In an instant, Patton yelled from the kitchen, a burst of pure energy flying from his hands straight into Deceit's chest. "Deceit?!" Virgil asked, throwing his book down to see if the other was all right. "Are you okay?"

He skidded to a stop and dropped to his knees, and Deceit was staring bewildered at the ceiling. "Have you seen my...my...my gloves? I'm missing my gloves, I need them."

"Deceit, what are you talking about?" Virgil asked, before noting in alarm that his form was starting to fade. "No, no, no. Hey, stay with me, Deceit, stay with me!"

"I need my gloves, Vigilance," Deceit said, looking over at him with eyes half-glazed over.

Virgil put his hands on Deceit's chest, trying to keep his form from fading further. "I'll find your gloves, Deceit. Stay with me, and we can find them together."

Deceit coughed and his entire body spasmed, Virgil's hands got moved too much to keep Deceit's form in place, and he faded into thin air. Virgil was staring at where he had been in shock, before he turned in surprise to Patton. "Patton, what the hell did you just do?!"

"He was going to hurt you, Vigilance, I was looking out for you!" Patton said.

"He wasn't going to hurt me! He was just asking me if I had seen his gloves! Why did you make him fade?! Thomas needs him, you know, however much both of us hate it!" Virgil spat.

"He doesn't need a liar," Patton said.

Virgil grabbed his book and shoved it into the pocket of his oversized hoodie. "I know you hate him, but he served a purpose! And you're hurting Thomas by dismissing him like that!"

As Virgil stormed off, Patton called, "Where do you think you're going, Vigilance?"

"I'm going to make sure that Thomas isn't irreparably damaged by your actions!" Virgil called back, heading to the other side of the Mind Palace with ease.

When he showed his face, Remus was the first to greet him by almost giving him a morningstar to the face. "Easy, Remus! I just want to make sure Deceit is all right!" he snapped.

Remus scowled at him. "His room suddenly got locked for no reason. The only time that happens is when he gets hurt!"

"Yeah, well, I didn't hurt him! Patton's the one who overreacted! I was trying to make sure Deceit was okay!" Virgil defended.

Remus stared at him a long time before huffing and letting Virgil through. Virgil went up to the door and gently turned the knob, surprised when the door swung open for him. He walked through, Remus following close behind, to find a small snake curled up in the center of the bed. "Just how bad did he get hurt?" Remus asked. "He never has to fully regenerate unless there was a big enough shock to his system that it would kill any human."

Virgil felt sick. "I don't doubt that what happened could have killed him. I didn't think Patton was capable of it, but..." He took a shaky breath, continuing. "I guess I was wrong."

Remus scowled. "I'll kill Patton the next chance I get," he vowed. "See how much _he_ likes regenerating."

"Will Deceit be okay?" Virgil asked.

Remus waved off his concern. "Oh, sure, I've accidentally killed him several times, he always bounces back. It just takes time."

"Is it okay if I...stay?" Virgil asked. "I don't feel safe around Patton anymore."

"Sure," Remus sighed. "But if Deceit kicks you out, don't be surprised."

Virgil nodded and Remus left. Virgil went over to the bed and sat on a corner of it, offering his hand out to the tiny snake. "Hey, Deceit," Virgil said. "Sorry about Patton. He...I didn't realize he was capable of that."

The snake wrapped around Virgil's fingers, squeezing them. Virgil laughed. "I might stay with you guys for a while, if that's all right. I just...Patton really scared me today. He could have killed you. He _did_ kill you. That's not okay on any level." In the prolonged silence, Virgil thought over his words. "I know Remus said this isn't the first time, but it's the first time I've seen it, and I don't like it. Truth be told, I don't think I've been working well as Vigilance for a long time. I might need a new name. I've just been so anxious about everything...all the time. And...I don't know. I'm worried that Patton will do it to me, next."

Virgil fell backwards onto the bed, letting Deceit continue to curl around his fingers. He was exhausted all of a sudden. Surely, he could rest his eyes for a few minutes...

When Virgil woke up next, it was because some sort of fabric was poking his cheek. "Vigilance," a familiar voice said. "Wake up."

Virgil blinked awake to see Deceit staring down at him. "You're okay!" Virgil said, crushing Deceit in a hug. "You're okay! I was so worried!"

Deceit blinked as Virgil pulled back. "I see you found your gloves," Virgil said, pointing to his hands.

"Remus stole them, apparently," Deceit sighed. "He assumed I'd come after him, not check your half of the Mind Palace for them."

Virgil winced. "I'm sorry about Patton."

"I heard you before," Deceit waved off. "And if you don't feel safe with the others, you can move your room here, if you want."

"You mean that?" Virgil asked.

"No, I'm totally saying it just to get your hopes up," Deceit said with an eye roll. "I _don't_ actually want a civilized side to spend time with."

Virgil laughed a little. "Okay, okay, I'll stay. I don't...I don't really know what I should be called, though. Like, I have my name, but I don't really feel like sharing it just yet...and Vigilance doesn't fit anymore..."

"You could always go by Anxiety. You said yourself you're anxious all the time," Deceit reasoned.

Virgil blinked. "You know what? I just might. At least, until I find something that either fits better or I'm more comfortable giving my name out. Anxiety it is."

"Well, then, welcome to the Dark Side, Anxiety," Deceit said with a small smile. "If you come with me to the kitchen, we can make cookies and the saying will become true."

Virgil laughed and followed Deceit out of his room. He barely gave a second thought when he looked around and saw that his room had been moved over here. It was just as well. He certainly didn't fit in with the others, at any rate. Maybe here, he could have a family.

**Author's Note:**

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